Headlight



Jan. 19 1926.. 1,570,589

R. P. MCCURDY ET A1.

HEADLIGHT Filed May 23, 1924 2 SheetS-Sheet l Snom/dom,

Jan., 19 1926. 1,570,589 i R. P. MCCURDY ET AL HEADLIGHT Filed May 25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 if., a

Patented Jan. 19,- 1.9.26.- I l UNIT EDI-,11S TSE A1,570,589 A11.6.11;2NT OFFICE.

ROBERT I. MQCURDY, oF PITTSBURGII, PENSYLVANIA, AND FREDERICK W. HoCII- STETTER, 0F DAYTON, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA.

Application mea my 23,

To all lw/zom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, ROBERT P. MOCUR- DY, a resident of Pit-tsburgh, county of Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, and FREDERICK W. HoCHsTETTER, a "resident off Dayton, county of Montgomery, and` State of Ohio, Citizens of the United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Headlights, of which the 'following is a full and, clear specification.

One object of this invention is to provide a headlight structure which will illuminate the roadway by indirect li hting, to thereby eliminate glare; and a-not er object of the invention is to provide a visor which shall not only be adjustable with respect to the front lens, but also be capable of use as a reflector to throw some of the rays -of light upwardly and forwardly to thus enable the visor to be used-as a sort of spotlight for' reading signs along the roadway, as more fully 4hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a front view and Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of our invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the means for ad-y justing and locking the visor-reflector;

Figs. 4 and 5 are views of a modification;

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are views of another modification;V

Fig. 9 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing a'hollow prism.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the draw- ,ing annexed, by reference-characters, 10 designates a pair of electric lamp bulbs supported within a lower reflector 11 at opposite sides of the same. This reflector faces upwardly and its open upper side is covered by a lens 12.

Mounted ou the lower reector is an upper reflector 13 of suitable shape to receive the direct as well as the reflected rays from the lower lamp chamber and *reflectthe same out through the usual front lens or glass 14. It will be understood that any suitable system of lenses may be employed. It will be observed that with our system of double rlectors, but a very small quantity of the dn'ect rays will be projected out through the front lens and those rays that do escape directly through the 'front lens willbe directed 'upwardly and thus be rendered ineifective AssIGNoRs To .IosEPII C. TREES, or PITTSBURGH,

IIE'ADIIGIIT.

1924.. semina 715,408.

in having any binding `action on the eyes of approaching drivers. Practically all of the rys'from the light source will be caught by the upper reflector and projected through 'the Vfront lens in the form of a light flood, .thereby entirely eliminating the objectionablevglare which results from direct light. We have shown a plurality of light sources within the reflecting area, but it will be understood that yone bulb alone may be used; ther object in using a plurality of bulbs is toincrease illumina-tion and compensate for the loss of light that occurs through indirect lighting. 4

Upon the front, upper side of the lamp housing, we hinge a v1sor 15 which is adapted to be swung down to a position against the lens 14 or to be swung upwardly to any desired position, means being provided for locking the visor in its adjusted position, said means consisting, for example, of a rod 16. extending to a point within easyv reach of the driver and attached to a simple form of locking ratchet 17. The inner face 18 of the visor issilvered ortreated inany other suitable manner to produce a rellecting-surface.

When the visor` is swung down against the lens, it acts simply as ay visor, but when se l surface will throw the rays upwardly and forwardly in such manner as to illuminatea road-sign or other object located too high for illumination by the rays directav ly from the main reflector 13. In this way, the visor is adapted to be used inv the manner of a spotlight. It. will be understood that this spotlight visor may be;l employed with advantage on other types of headli ht.

19 which is constructed to present a flat surface 20 to the light source and has its rear Vio? 'i side 21 inclined upwardly and forwardly and silvered to rovide a reflecting surface. It

will be un erstood that we may use a hollow prism, as shown in Fig. 9, instead of 10o Int e modiicationshownin Figs. 4 and 5, we use instead of the two lenses a prism the solid prism illustrated. Whether hol` low or solid, the vertical side' walls 23 will be silvered or otherwise treated to produce a reflecting surface to thereby avoid losing any light through absorption by the side walls. This hollow prism may be built up of Hat plates of glass fastened together at their corners by cement or otherwise.

ln Fig. 2 and in the modification shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, we provide the lens 12 with a translucent area 22 immediately above the lamp bulb; the object of this is to prevent the image of the incandescent. lament from being reflected out through the Jfront lens to thereby avoid any possibility of being blinded by the lilament at whatever angle a person approaching the headlight may view the headlight.

What we claim is:

A headlight embodying a lower reflector Jfacing upwardly, light sources near the peripheral edge of the reector, and an upper secondary retlector positioned above thc light sources to receive the light rays from the lower reflector and project them forwardly, a lens disposed between the two reA iiectors, said lens having a translucent aren immediately above the rear light source.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aiix our signatures this 16th 'day of April 1924.

ROBERT P. MGCURDY. FREDERICK W. HOCHSTETTER. 

